A New Form Of Light Exists That No One Knew About

There's no shortage of light studies in the world of physics, so it's pretty amazing that scientists continue to make shocking discoveries on the topic. In May 2016, physicists from Trinity College Dublin's School of Physics and the CRANN Institute announced their discovery of a new form of light. Light can be measured using angular momentum, and until May 2016, physicists thought that the angular momentum was always a multiple of Planck's constant, a central number in quantum mechanics. But this new form of light has angular momentum that is half the value physicists have learned to expect, surprising scientists and changing what they've long believed to be true about light. This discovery could potentially be used to improve speed and security along fibre-optic cables, which would ultimately make internet connections both faster and safer.